Storms More Likely: expect several waves of rain and storms Thursday and Friday

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Clouds moving in from the west Wednesday kept the temperature down a little; they are also a visual sign of increasing moisture, and that means a better chance of rain and thunderstorms through the rest of this week.

Widespread rain and storms begin early Thursday. Expect a rainy and occasionally stormy day with some wet weather possible at almost any time. The lack of summer sunshine means it won’t get as hot: highs only around 81ºF. The Storm Prediction Center shows a ‘marginal’ risk of a few severe storms over Northwest Alabama and Middle Tennessee Thursday; however, scattered showers and storms early in the day could limit the risk for most of the Tennessee Valley region.

Photo Gallery

Severe storms possible: Summer storms can be some of the worst weather you’ll deal with in a calendar year: even if they aren’t ‘severe’ by definition (winds over 58 MPH and hail larger than a quarter).

The Storm Prediction Center outlines a *SLIGHT RISK* of severe weather for Friday as well: mainly for a lower-end threat of high winds and hail.

Timing is key in determining exactly where the stronger storms will develop; overnight showers will stabilize some areas while others grow increasingly unstable Friday. We’ll be watching it closely!

Weekend storms? Rain and thunderstorms won’t be quite as widespread on Saturday and Sunday, but they are still possible! The heavier storms likely move south of the Tennessee Valley for Saturday, and they may develop a bit north of us on Sunday. That leaves us with a roughly 50% chance of some scattered storms Saturday and a 30% chance on Sunday.

Any storms that develop either day could get heavy quickly, so be on your toes when the sky gets dark and you hear thunder approaching.

Still hot, still a few storms next week: Without a cold front to sweep out the humidity or a strong ridge to suppress afternoon storms, each day will have at least a chance of a few spotty downpours next week. Expect highs in the 90s, lows around 70ºF, and a 10-20% chance of some showers or storms.